I went to Boise…

…a couple of weeks ago to see Robin and Ken’s new home and celebrate Steven’s second birthday. I drove it in two days; it’s just over 1000 miles. I spent the night in a Provo motel, but the next time I’ll look for a place just a little south of there. By the time I got there, it was dark (and raining!) and I stopped three places before finding a vacancy.

Boise is a nice little city. I wouldn’t call it pretty (at least not in comparison to Alaska!), but it seems to be a great community and the Holsinger’s neighborhood is really beautiful, as is their new home. I posted some pictures on my gallery.

With the mega-hours I’m putting in at work these days, it was so nice to just get away and relax with no schedule, no alarm clock, and no work! Megan and I watched at least 5 videos. Steven and I read Elmo and Curious George at least 15 times. Robin and I went shopping twice. Ken and I had a discussion about churches and prayer. A perfect visit!

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Winter Fun

For some “cool” fun, check this out. You can make snowflakes all day long, each one prettier than the last. Be sure to visit the gallery while you’re there.

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Labor Weekend

We’re moving Mom this weekend. There is a nice apartment for a less expensive rate available, and she has to be moved by this Wednesday. I spent six hours on Saturday and four on Sunday over at her place packing boxes and throwing out stuff she doesn’t use anymore. We can get into the new apartment today, so Daryl, Brian, Mark and I are going to move her stuff over there. Everyone should move every few years. It’s the best “spring cleaning” incentive there is. I cringe to think of all that people will find in my house when I’m gone. I’ve lived here 20 years next spring! In fact, sorting through all Mom’s stuff and moving her into a fresh new place has inspired me to do some fall cleaning myself.

Later this month I’m driving up to Boise to see Robin and Ken. I’ll arrive on Steven’s birthday, and Megan will be on one of her school breaks the week I’m there. It should be a nice road trip, a fun visit, and I’m definitely looking forward to the break from work, work, work!

Happy Labor Day, everyone!

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Sound advice

I have some advice for everyone who reads this. If your refrigerator goes out, do not eat any leftovers from said refrigerator for dinner, even if it seems to taste fine. It will not be so fine at 4:30 the next morning. Additionally, you may find yourself working from home that day where you can be close to the facilities.

And now the fun news … I just bought a new refrigerator!

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Breathing Easier

I woke up yesterday morning to the breaking news that the serial shooter(s) had been caught. They have been terrorizing the Phoenix area for quite some time. I’ve been working late hours this week, and have been surprised at the number of people I’ve seen out riding bikes and walking along the streets after dark. Someone said the sniper usually picked isolated areas to shoot someone, but it still seemed brave (or crazy) to put yourself out there as a target. Anyway,one mystery down, and one to go. Now if they can nab the Baseline killer, our city might settle back out of the media spotlight.

As I mentioned, I am working late hours. Another project asked for volunteers to help them out 20 hours a week (minimum) on an overtime basis. I’m working 12 hour days so I can keep my weekends off. I admit, I was really tired last night. (Richard and Dianna, think of me as you’re strolling on the beach!)

So tonight, I’m relaxing (breathing easy) and watching a Diamondbacks game. They sure have been more fun to watch this year than they have in a long time. They are hot on the heels of the first place Padres. Go Diamondbacks!

Posted in Life & Family, Sports | 4 Comments

Offers

Marvell distributed job offers to the Arizona employees today. In my mask design group of 25, two did not get offers. They were told there were not quite enough positions at Marvell, but I wonder if past performance had something to do with it.

I was quite satisfied with my offer, and we had an overview of their benefits this afternoon. Their stock program is better than Intel’s, but retirement program not as good. The medical plan is comparable. The remaining 3 questions are these: location? location? location? That is unknown; they are still negotiating regarding several sites.

There have been questions over the pronunciation of Marvell’s name: is it MAR-vuhl or mar-VELL? Well, the HR VP said it is mar-VELL and she explained how they came up with the name. It stands for marvelous, and has a silicon valley sound, like Intel or Dell. At that point, someone spoke up and said they could drop the “e” if they wanted. That got a big laugh in the room.

I’m feeling pretty good about my future. It’ll be different, but the potential looks bright. Marvell’s stock has done extremely well over the years, and lots more of my compensation will now be distributed in stock options and RSUs, so if history is any indication, I may be able to retire by the time I’m in a wheelchair. I hope the Intel group they have acquired will do as well as their current crop of employees, and we can make them even more successful and profitable.

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